PAX 3 Concentrate Insert Guide

How to get the most out of your Pax 3 concentrate insert ...

**The PAX 3 vaporizer has some features only accessible via a smartphone app. On November 15th, 2019, Apple removed all vaporizer apps from its store. Apps that were downloaded before removal will still work. Android users are not affected. Please read our blog post to learn more about the app removal, and how it affects specific vaporizers.**

When PAX included a concentrate insert with the PAX 3, it was stepping into dangerous territory. More specialized portable vaporizers already had a corner on the concentrate market, and some devices that tried to do both herbal and concentrates sometimes didn’t do either well.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case with the PAX 3, and the concentrate insert works surprisingly well, with a few caveats. Our tips should help improve your efficiency with the PAX 3’s concentrate insert, and have you enjoying all the flavors and potent production in a few simple steps.

Keep it clean

As any PAX owner knows, a regular cleaning pays off in a number of ways. A few minutes with a pipe cleaner can noticeably improve vapor production and taste. That goes double for concentrates, which can gum up the works, so to speak. The included brush can help clear out the vapor path when the device has cooled down, although a pipe cleaner will do the trick if you already keep it clean.

The concentrate insert itself benefits from a proper cleaning before each use. Vaporizing what little is left at a high temperature is an option, but a dot of isopropyl alcohol and the end of a pipe cleaner should remove any gunk, just be sure to clean and dry the insert fully after. As it turns out, if you keep the PAX upright, cleaning becomes less of an issue.

Keep it upright

If you’ve ever tried to take your PAX into a hammock, you may have noticed it doesn’t work quite as efficiently. That’s because the PAX is designed to work best when turned upright, and that’s more important with concentrates for a couple of reasons. For one, heat causes the concentrates to soften, and leaving the Pax sitting in the wrong orientation could cause them to clog the air holes on the concentrate insert, or seep out into the oven.

There’s also the issue of proper air intake. The concentrate should melt a bit as you vaporize it, and gather around the intake pipes at the bottom of the insert. As you draw air through the bottom, it will pull over the concentrate and out through the exhaust in the center of the bowl. If the PAX is sitting upside down, or at an angle, the concentrate won’t sit in the right place in the oven, and the air path may not pass over it as efficiently.

Keep it hot

While herbal mixes produce the best vapor at the third temperature setting, concentrates require a lot more heat to vaporize properly. The PAX 3 vaporizes concentrate well at the highest temperature setting, and has an extra trick up its sleeve.

With the connected smartphone app, you can bump the temperature even higher than the built-in settings. While we wouldn’t recommend taking it much higher, that extra few degrees can really hone in the vapor production, with the slight cost of a drop in flavor. The PAX 3 has much better insulation than the PAX 2, so you don’t need to worry about burning your hands in the process.

Keep it lightly loaded

Finally, the concentrate insert in the PAX 3 isn’t very large, and unlike herbal mixes, which should be firmly packed, air is your friend with stickier substances. A tiny drop of concentrate, about the size of a small pea, will ensure proper airflow and plenty of room to produce great vapor. You’ll have to load it more often, but that also means plenty of chances to clean up.

As long as you draw slowly, keep the insert clean, and turn the heat way up, you’ll find the PAX 3 keeps up with dedicated, portable concentrate vaporizers. Of course, the real reason to buy a PAX 3 is for the herbal vaporizing potency, but the concentrate insert is a nice touch that adds a lot of value to an already impressive offering.